Saint-Oyen

Introduction

A village in the upper valley of the Great St Bernard Pass, situated at an altitude of around 1300 m, Saint-Oyen has a toponym of religious derivation, translated from the Latin Eugendus, who in the 6th century was the abbot of Condat, in France, a place now called Saint-Claude-du-Jura.

Description

There is no precise information about the foundation of the village, not even in the form of archaeological finds: the earliest documents date back to the 11th century, when the archdeacon of Aosta Bernard founded the hospice that still bears his name. In 1137, the Count of Savoy, who directly administered the entire valley, donated the Château Verdun, a now beautifully restored building that the canons still use as their hospice, to the Canons of the Hospice of Saint Bernard. The life of the community has always been linked to the vicissitudes of the hill that overlooks it: here, as in the entire 'Comba Freida', the passage of Napoleon's army created a deep impression on the inhabitants, who created ways to exorcise the monster with typical, colourful carnival rituals. Today's economy, however, is not only based on vehicular transit through the Great St. Bernard tunnel or on what remains of traditional agriculture, but also relies on the small ski resort of Flassin, which is particularly popular with cross-country skiers and downhill ski beginners.

Information

Area: 8.02km²
Altitude: 1190m
Maximum elevation: Tête de Barasson (2729m)
Number of inhabitants: 189 (31.12.20)
Name in dialect: Saint-Oyen
Inhabitants name: Saintoyards
Patron Saint: Oyend de Condat (1st January)
Internet site: www.comune.saint-oyen.ao.it
Border municipalities: Bourg-Saint-Pierre, Étroubles, Gignod, Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses

Points of Interest

• St. Eugendo Parish Church

Landscape

• alpeggi - map
• villages - map
• villages - map

Itineraries

• hiking - map 
• snowshoeing - map
• snowshoeing - map